Union Local Welcomes Harrison Central On Sept. 11 Military Night In Morristown
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MORRISTOWN - There will be a lot to commemorate Friday night at Jets Stadium when Union Local hosts Harrison Central in high school football action.
With Friday being September 11, Union Local will pause to remember what took place a quarter of a century ago.
"This Friday is going to be super special. Last week was the first week with the Jet in front of the school. A lot of people were excited about that," Union Local head coach Bernie Thompson said. "It's 9-11 so it's going to be Military Night and we are honoring our veterans. We went to the National Guard bootcamp this summer, so we're excited to be having those guys here. We just want to represent Union Local and our country the right way.
"We're going to be doing some history lessons with the guys this week because it's hard to believe that none of them were born when 911 occurred," Thompson added. "I think that's important for them to recognize the importance of it."
On the field, the Jets (3-0) have won six of the last 10 meetings with the Huskies, including 28-3 last season at Wagner Field in Cadiz. Union Local leads the all-time series 15-12 and has won four of the last five encounters.
"The key to us is always going to be our leadership. Our kids have bought in and that has shown over the past few years," Thompson said. "This senior class is special. They bring it every day because they want to be successful.
"From a leadership standpoint down to an offensive linemen standpoint, you're talking Xs and Os and they are probably our most important unit on the team," he continued. "I think our offensive line has done a tremendous job. They do their job and that is to make holes for our running backs."
That line includes center Isaiah Eberhart; right guard Jameson Bable; right tackles Landon Davis and Mason Fowkes; left guard Johnny Hercules and left tackle Konnor Kovach.
"I'm very proud of that group. Coach (John) Kutcher does a good job of getting those guys ready. We brought (assistant) Coach (Bruce) Stiles on board this year and he's helping out with that unit," Thompson said. "We want to bring physicality to every game. It all starts with them. You can't be tough if your offensive line isn't physical. They've brought that. We have belief in those guys. If we need 2 or 3 yards, we're going to run it. I think you saw that against St. Clairsville when we ran the ball nearly 40 times."
The recipient of the blocking has been tailback Brody Perzanowski. He has nearly 500 yards in three games.
"Brody Perzanowski is an outstanding kid. Every time he gets the ball he is a threat to score," Thompson said of the standout tailback/inside linebacker. "Kolten Snyder has also had a fine year so far. Ethan Meyer and Carson Williams are a couple of younger guys that have stepped up and performed well."
Thompson has been impressed with sophomore quarterback Evan Poziviak.
"He has done a phenomenal job," Thompson praised. "He's made smart decisions and has put the ball where it needs to be. He's been able to keep some drives alive and I was very impressed with some of the plays he made last week against Indian Creek."
Snyder provides the short-yardage game.
"Kolten is a great player for us on both sides of the football. Any time we need some short yardage, he's willing to go get it and that's either running over guys or leaping over them like we saw against Indian Creek," Thompson recalled.
"There's no selfishness on our team," he stressed. "We only have one football and we're trying to get as many guys involved as we can. My belief on offense is the more guys you get involved, the more difficult you are to defend. It starts with our offensive linemen and then getting No. 15 (Perzanowski) involved and making sure the quarterback is making smart decisions."
Defensively, the Jets have allowed just four touchdowns.
"(Assistant) Coach (Vaughn) Butler's crew have done a fantastic job of eliminating the big plays, getting off the field on third downs and being physical - we want to make it a focal point of being better tacklers this year, and we have been so far," Thompson continued. "They have been stout and a lot of credit goes to the players because once they are done on offense, they are right back out there playing defense.
"We pride ourselves in being very conditioned," Thompson noted. "We know it's not how you start, but how you finish. The best part about being 3-0 is you have the chance to go 4-0."
Union Local started 4-0 two years ago on its way to a 7-0 start.
The Jets have defeated Warren Local (34-0), St. Clairsville (40-21) and Indian Creek (48-7).
"From our viewpoint, we don't pay any attention to stuff on the outside," Thompson admitted. "We have a saying in our locker room 'standard over feelings.' No matter who we are playing, we have to reach our standard. That's easy to say when things are going well like they are, but on a Tuesday we have a standard and I'm writing some things down. We're going to go out and execute and the guys are going to know that we are going to work hard and compete.
"You never want to take anything for granted in high school football. You're not guaranteed anything so we've got a bunch of guys that show up every day and work hard to get better."
Harrison Central has sandwiched a victory (47-14) over East Palestine around two blowout setbacks at Claymont (43-0) and at home last week to Strasburg (54-7).
"They are a scary 1-2 team," Thompson said of the Huskies. "Looking at them on film, they've got some athletes and it all starts with their quarterback. He is very athletic and can make plays happen with both his arm and legs. They've got a few guys up front that are really big and a couple of nice backs. They also have a wide receiver that they throw it up to and he's catching a lot of balls.
"I don't think their record indicates how talented they are, so anytime you're playing a team like that, you have to be on your ps and qs," I like to say. "We need to be focused ... dialed in. This is a rivalry game for us and we know they are going to be ready to play hard."
Harrison Central head coach Anthony Hayes said his young squad is going through "the growing phases of an inexperienced team.
"We didn't play real well against Claymont, but then we were the polar opposite against East Palestine. Then we were back to committing turnovers in a loss to Strasburg," he added. "In the win we forced five turnovers and didn't commit one, but against Strasburg we had six turnovers and didn't force one.
"We didn't execute last week and it cost us," Hayes continued. "Nobody wants to commit a turnover. It's just a lack of concentration at times and it's also a case of getting hit hard and the ball popping loose."
Hayes said facing Union Local won't be an easy task.
"Them and Claymont are the best two teams we've seen," he admitted. "Union Local is very good. They are an experienced, veteran football team. From what I can tell, this is the best team they've had for a while."
Hayes also knows that his Huskies will have to stop the run.
"They are definitely a run-heavy team. If I had a running back like Perzanowski, I would be too."
Union Local leads the all-time series, 15-12. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.